Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Nov 5, 2005

Saturday, November 5, 2005. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We arrived to a quiet Addis. There was no indication of the riots that took place earlier in the week. Anne and Erik made plans to spend another week in Ethiopia to visit the southern tribes of the Omo Valley. I decided to leave Addis a day earlier than scheduled and return to Nairobi while things were calm. I felt a little bittersweet in leaving. I will miss the great coffee, beautiful countryside, inexpensive travel, and fabulous ancient sites. I will not miss, however, the constant hassles and begging, and the frequent "Faranji frenzy", which make travel to Ethiopia quite a challenge and a test of one's patience. Still, I would certainly recommend a visit to Ethiopia to those willing to put up with these challenges. It is a fascinating and interesting country, vastly different from the rest of East Africa. And the coffee is absolutely fabulous.